Tag: Single Barrel

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Dailuaine, Old Particular K&L Exclusive, 12yo, 2007/2019

Rating33.5/40
OriginScotland, Central Speyside
DistilleryDailuaine
OwnerDiageo
DistilledMarch 2007
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Particular
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
CaskSherry Butt DL13293
BottledAugust 19th, 2019
Bottles573
Strength57.6% (115.2 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

A delicious single sherry butt cask strength bottling of a single malt from one of Speyside less known distilleries, Dailuaine, which mostly produces component whiskies for Diageo’s portfolio of blends and rarely gets bottled as single malt, comes to us courtesy of Douglas Laing.

Nose: A friendly neighborhood flower shop that stocks nothing but pretty meadow flowers on the main floor. Though I get a sense that they’re keeping a few buckets of roses stashed away in a backroom somewhere. And I’m fairly certain the owner had grilled Branzino for lunch. Much later there are passing whiffs of freshly watered grass in the sun. (8.5/10)

Palate: A hot wave spills through my mouth and finally breaks, foaming with bright and tangy notes more reminiscent of top shelf oranges than flowers. Quite lovely. (8.5/10)

Finish: Echoes of orange juice and bitter herbs are hovering high above a growing and comforting heat right behind my sternum. Ultimtely the warmth doesn’t last all that long but it’s wonderful while it lasts. (8/10)

Balance: Very pretty but not as timid as one would expect. A mellow, pleasant late spring and early summer filled with plenty of joyful times. Very nice. (8.5/10)

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Longmorn, Old Malt Cask K&L Exclusive, 14yo, 2003/2018

Rating34.5/40
OriginScotland, Speyside, Lossie
DistilleryLongmorn
OwnerPernod Ricard via Chivas Brothers
DistilledNovember 2003
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Malt Cask
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
CaskRefill Barrel HL15146
BottledJune 2018
Bottles243
Strength54.9% (109.8 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

A K&L exclusive single barrel cask strength bottling of a delicious single malt distilled at one of the lesser known hidden treasures among the numerous Speyside distilleries.

Nose: Every so often I encounter a whisky where I have an absurdly hard time identifying specific notes. There’s stuff. And also a few things. Mostly stuff though. Both are good. Hah! Finally! A faint note I can put a name on that seems to permeate both the stuff and also the things. It’s cola. Oh and then some old furniture that was rubbed with cola. Anyway, it’s somewhat static but I like it. A drop of water flattens the nose beyond recovery. (8/10)

Palate: Ah, much more going on here. A big bold hit, at first spatially contained but continuously inflated with each subsequent sip. I still can’t really name specific notes here. Very, very nice though. Oddly enough a drop of water converts this from water of life to oil slick of life. I like that. Too bad adding water ruins the nose. (8.5/10)

Finish: Deep and warm. I just love a whisky that fills my chest cavity with flavor and heat. Apparently I have olfactory receptors buried in my lungs. I still can’t name notes though. Maybe my brain has finally short-circuited. Luckily I’m still capable of immensely enjoying this. Water dials back the warmth which makes me sad. (9/10)

Balance: Somehow this whisky defeated my ability to name flavors. But it is great. Seriously. I really liked the palate with water but the cost in terms of losing the nose and the warmth of the finish is just too high as far as I’m concerned. Don’t put water into this. Unless you want to know sadness and regret. (9/10)

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Bowmore Old Malt Cask K&L Excl., 21yo, 1996/2018

Rating33.5/40
OriginScotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
DistilleryBowmore
OwnerSuntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
DistilledDecember 1996
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Malt Cask
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
PeatedYes
CaskRefill Hogshead #HL15197
BottledJune 2018
Bottles120
Strength52.8% (105.6 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

This bottle came and went quickly at K&L and I had missed my opportunity. Luckily a great friend brought his personal bottle to one of our gatherings and let us try this absolutely wonderful Bowmore. Thanks so much, Andrew! This one made me think deep thoughts.

Nose: A freshly showered mildly bite-y fish, perhaps a low-odor salmon that is resting on a bed of steamed parsley root and other sweet root vegetables. The fish in questions likely swam past Bowmore distillery last year, probably a sightseeing detour through Loch Indaal on the way to the spawning grounds, because there is only the very faintest echoes from far, far away and barely perceptible of that old lavender perfume so typical of the distillery. (7.5/10)

Palate: A sanded unfinished wooden board upon which the fish is going to be served, in anticipation of that happening to it. Perhaps some smoke is rolling in through the windows from one of the other Islay distilleries… it’s hard to tell for sure. Some thin high quality chocolate splinters around the edges. The realization of all the things the wooden board has seen. It has a functional and utilitarian perspective on life. It just does what it does. And I like it. Old school palate. Unapologetic. No frills. (8.5/10)

Finish: Layers in quietly. This wooden board has an unassuming manner that only initially succeeds in hiding its real power and solid structure. I like hanging out with this wooden board. Sitting next to each other on deck chairs, quietly watching the waves roll in under a darkening sky. I want this wooden board to be my friend. I think it likes me. I’m happy. (9/10)

Balance: This just keeps getting better and better and better as it goes though there is a price to pay because eventually the lavender does being to appear on the nose. Not as annoying as usual luckily. The rest is glorious. But not obvious. Who knew stoic, sanded, unfinished wooden boards could be such good friends and companions. (8.5/10)

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Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.76 “Duelling banjos dram”, 8yo, 2005/2014

Rating31.5/40
OriginScotland, Islay, North Shore
DistilleryBunnahabhain
OwnerDistell Group
DistilledMay 25th, 2005
BottlerScotch Malt Whisky Society
Edition10.76 “Duelling banjos dram”
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
CaskRefill Bourbon Barrel
BottledJanuary 2014
Bottles229
Strength60.8% (121.6 Proof)
RetailerScotch Malt Whisky Society
WhiskybaseWhiskybase

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 76th bottling of a Bunnahabhain single barrel single malt from Islay’s North Shore.

Nose: I get the canvas but not the burning driftwood from the label. I’m also missing the leather but there is, in fact, some faint shoe polish in there. Also some very mild vanilla flavored wafers. A few moments in someone behind me unwraps a tiny bit of leftover nougat. There is just not all that much here to be honest though much later on a nice autumnal note of drying leaves on trees floats by. (7/10)

Palate: The initial big hit from this beast-strength liquid is quickly subsumed by a velvety, richly buttered dough that is very chewy and thick and that, while not intensely flavorful, sparkles spicily. (7.5/10)

Finish: Again there is not a whole lot of pronounced flavor going on but the whisky does deliver a deep, rich warmth that fills the chest cavity throughout. I can live with this. (8.5/10)

Balance: Everything about this dram is interesting despite being under-powered in terms of strength of flavor. And the whisky ultimately gets lifted up high by the finish. It makes you easily forgive and forget any and all earlier shortcomings. I can barely remember the nose or the palate to be honest. All there is is this deep and cozy warmth everywhere. And I’m good with that. (8.5/10)

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Bunnahabhain K&L Excl. SVUC “Staoisha” Heavily Peated, 4yo, 2014/2019

Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Islay, North Shore
DistilleryBunnahabhain
OwnerDistell Group
DistilledOctober 23rd, 2014
BottlerSignatory Vintage
SeriesUn-Chillfiltered Collection
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
Peatedyes
CaskDechar/rechar Hogshead #10723
BottledJun 10th, 2019
Bottles284
Strength60.6% (121.2 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants
Price$70

Nose: The peat appears in the form of compressed chocolate harvested from ancient bogs. The best such chocolate is often apparently somewhat fuzzy. (8/10)

Palate: The fuzzy chocolate from the nose melts into some mild Oolong tea served alongside it. Also, the table legs appear to be on fire. (7/10)

Finish: Heat stings the flanks of my tongue. These peripheral sensations meet up like the arms of a rather strangely shaped tuning fork back down in my esophagus. A hamster appears to have stored chocolate pudding in my cheeks. For the winter one assumes. (8/10)

Balance: A bit bumpy as a ride perhaps, which is not at all surprising for a 4 year old. Nevertheless absolutely enjoyable and well in line with Bunna’s recent push into bolder and peatier territory. (8/10)

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KaVaLan Solist Port Cask Duty Free 2018

Rating35/40
OriginTaiwan
DistilleryKavalan
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskPort Cask 0110112016A
BottledSeptember 20th, 2018
Bottles149
Strength57.8% (115.6 proof)
RetailerTravel Retail Exclusive
Price$160

Nose: Rusty cherries and baker’s plums. Smells like a bright red plate that had fresh squeezed lemon squirted on it. Later strawberries rise from wine-soaked brown paper bags. Someone is taking off leather gloves a few houses down the block using them to stack a bunch of iron ingots. (8/10)

Palate: Sizzling strawberries and peaches stitched together with Meyer lemon threads. Later vaguely berry flavored dry book pages made from leather. (9/10)

Finish: Moist, rich, warm strawberry pie lubricated by browned butter slips easily and somewhat lasciviously over the back of the tongue and down into the throat all the while releasing tiny little puffs of cinnamon. (9/10)

Balance: Very berry butter puree. (9/10)

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Old Pulteney K&L Exclusive Cask #231, 13yo, 2004/2018

Rating33.6/40
OriginScotland, Northern Highlands
DistilleryOld Pulteney
OwnerThaiBev via Inver House Distillers
Distilled2004
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
Bottled2018
Bottles242
Strength55.2% (110.4 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: Effervescent earthy orange candy. Rises from the glass like a dew sprinkled mushroom cap, gently glittering in the soft forest light. Don’t get me wrong… there is nothing woodlandish about this. It’s just an image that arose when I was thinking about the movement and character of the nose. Everything is rich and deep, yet gentle like the colors of moss and fern in the soft light under quiet trees. Quite beautiful. Later it drifts towards something resembling a faint BBQ savoriness. (8.8/10)

Palate: Crawling fire spreads here and there. Spots of burning shoe polish emit puffs of smoke wafting about. And yet, as a whole, this palate is bright with almost metallic notes shimmering on top of the subtly smouldering depths. (9.4/10)

Finish: Life is too short. So is this whisky. It never reaches the throat or chest. The finish floats near the roof of the mouth with some lovely orange-flavored smokiness and some decent initial heat that disintegrates into hollow echoes of itself. Sigh. I can’t emphasize enough how enamoured I am by this whisky and how much it hurts to be let down by its finish in this way. (7.5/10)

Balance: If it wasn’t for the short reach and, compared to nose and palate, lacking heft of the finish this whisky would be quite amazing. But that finish fails to live up to everything else and because the finish is, well, the finish it colors the whole experience. Such a bummer. But the rest is still absolutely worth it for early experience. (7.9/10)

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Mortlach Faultline K&L Exclusive, 22yo, 1995/2017

Mortlach Faultline 1995/2017, 22yo, close-up
Rating30/40
OriginScotland, Speyside, Dufftown
DistilleryMortlach
OwnerDiageo
Distilled1995
BottlerAlexander Murray & Co
SeriesFaultline
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskFirst Fill Sherry Butt #7301
BottledDecember 4th, 2017
Strength53.3% (106.6 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants
Price$120 (Sold Out)

Nose: Oranges, flowers mingle in minty heat. Water drops it to faint notes of a wet leaf-covered ground. (8/10)

Palate: Hot orange-flavored hard candy. Water dials fruitiness up to 11 and spreads everything out wide. (7/10)

Finish: Astringent wood and unripe, acidic oranges. (8/10)

Balance: Somewhat unbalanced. Adding water, while nicely boosting the palate, messes with the bookends in rather disappointing ways. The heat on this one definitely requires warming up ones palate with something else first. (7/10)

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Aultmore Sovereign K&L Excl., 9yo, 2008/2017

Aultmore Sovereign K&L Excl., 2008/2017, 9yo., close-up
Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Central Speyside
DistilleryAultmore
OwnerBacardi via John Dewar & Sons
DistilledJune 2008
BottlerHunter Laing & Co.
SeriesSovereign
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskSherry Butt #HL13138
BottledAugust 2017
Bottles631
Strength59,8% (119.6 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: The mummified corpses of licorice candies melted under the Saharan sun and shriveled up to a state of utterly desiccated, dark tightness. (8/10)

Palate: Beastly and rough but full of beauty and power in its hot, raging magnificence. (9/10)

Finish: Bitter, medicinal flavors slowly build and layer in the back. (9/10)

Balance: And what rough beast dram, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem my mouth to be born drunk. (9/10)